Questions and comments by sincere students of the arts and crafts on the various topics are welcome. Tai Goo Studio assumes no liability for attempts to duplicate, reproduce or reenact any of the information given, techniques etc., on these pages. Safety is each individual’s own responsibility. The primary content of this blog is for informational/educational purposes only.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

This tool is very handy for bending, straightening and adjusting the profile of knife blades etc., without the risk of denting or dinging the piece as with a steel hammer. It is normally used in conjunction with a wooden anvil, but may also be used with a steel anvil in some instances. Some of the keys to a good shwocker are weight, length, balance, grip and a bit of give/recoil for a good solid dead blow, or “shwock“.

This example was turned from ½ of an ash baseball bat billet, which is just about perfect,… 18 inches long and about 2-¾ inches in diameter. The ash was ebonized just for looks, so that the char marks wouldn’t show as much.